A FOUR-YEAR-OLD was showered with glass when yobs threw missiles off a bridge onto her father’s car on Saturday.

The girl was travelling with her father along the A174 when their windscreen was shattered by a brick thrown from an overhead footbridge close to Ormesby Grange Farm, near Middlesbrough.

She was not injured in the incident.

The incident, which happened at around 5pm, was one of a number to be reported to police on the same day. A female driver had to be treated at the James Cook University Hospital after being injured by glass when her blue Ford Fiesta was hit by a missile and another female driver escaped injury when her green Vauxhall Corsa was also targeted.

Police investigating the incidents have said that they are taking them extremely seriously.

Sergeant Lois Speakman, from Eston Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “I would like to send a strong message to those responsible that we will not tolerate these despicable and highly dangerous acts. We will do everything possible to bring you to justice. It has been a frightening ordeal for the victims involved, a small child was covered in glass and it is by luck that nothing more serious happened.”

Police across the region have been investigating several similar incidents over the course of the past few months.

Last week, Durham Police said youths were putting lives of drivers at risk by throwing bricks and breeze blocks from bridges over the A1(M) near Coxhoe, County Durham. CCTV footage had captured two youths throwing items over the bridge. One missile smashed the windscreen of a lorry. On October 4, a vehicle was damaged and another windscreen was smashed when two males threw bricks from the same bridge. On October 8, a lorry driver was left shocked after a traffic cone was thrown at his vehicle.

In September, two buses had their windows cracked in Stockton when youths threw missiles from the town’s Millennium Bridge at moving traffic.

The police are appealing for information in relation to the incidents on Saturday. Contact Cleveland Police on non-emergency number 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Comments (2)

It annoys me when the cash strapped NHS resources are consumed treating victims of louts who throw heavy objects at cars. I wonder how many of these youth's have been caught let alone charged. So often we hear about images being captured on CCTV but CCTV can be superfluous unless someone is monitoring it 24/7.

It annoys me when the cash strapped NHS resources are consumed treating victims of louts who throw heavy objects at cars. I wonder how many of these youth's have been caught let alone charged. So often we hear about images being captured on CCTV but CCTV can be superfluous unless someone is monitoring it 24/7.Graeme_r

There are hundreds of bridges over main roads in our region and virtually all of them are camera free. The police install unmonitored covert cameras in the most problematic areas in the hope of being able to identify offenders later. Without huge (money draining) resources being thrown at the issue by police, whos budgets have been slashed by 20%, there is probably little hope of catching these oxygen thieves. Even if they were caught our lenient justice system will stop them getting any meaningful sentance. There is no esay answer in todays climate, the police budget should never have been cut.

There are hundreds of bridges over main roads in our region and virtually all of them are camera free. The police install unmonitored covert cameras in the most problematic areas in the hope of being able to identify offenders later. Without huge (money draining) resources being thrown at the issue by police, whos budgets have been slashed by 20%, there is probably little hope of catching these oxygen thieves. Even if they were caught our lenient justice system will stop them getting any meaningful sentance. There is no esay answer in todays climate, the police budget should never have been cut.stevegg